| 1 | 1 | | 89R8930 JBD-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Smithee H.B. No. 3782 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to the type of newspaper required for publication of |
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| 10 | 10 | | public notices. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Section 2051.044, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 13 | 13 | | amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1) to read as |
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| 14 | 14 | | follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (a) Except as provided by Subsection (a-1), the [The] |
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| 16 | 16 | | newspaper in which a notice is published must: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) devote not less than 25 percent of its total column |
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| 18 | 18 | | lineage to general interest items; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) be published at least once each week; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) be entered as second-class postal matter in the |
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| 21 | 21 | | county where published; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (4) have been published regularly and continuously for |
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| 23 | 23 | | at least 12 months before the governmental entity or representative |
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| 24 | 24 | | publishes notice. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (a-1) In lieu of publishing a notice in a newspaper under |
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| 26 | 26 | | Subsection (a), a governmental entity may publish a notice in a |
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| 27 | 27 | | digital newspaper if that digital newspaper: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) has an audited paid-subscriber base; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) has been in business for at least three years; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (3) employs staff in the jurisdiction of the |
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| 31 | 31 | | governmental entity; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (4) reports on local events and governmental |
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| 33 | 33 | | activities in the jurisdiction of the governmental entity; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (5) provides news of general interest to people in the |
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| 35 | 35 | | jurisdiction of the governmental entity; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | (6) updates its news at least once each week. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 38 | 38 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 39 | 39 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 40 | 40 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 41 | 41 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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